News/Announcements from the GHS Counseling Department

• Attention seniors: Need help with the FAFSA?  Rebecca Hammond of the Educational Opportunity Center is accepting appointments at GHS to assist students and their parents in completing the application on Wednesdays beginning February 8th. Appointments with Mrs. Hammond can be made in the Attendance Office with Mrs. May.  Please see your counselor for more details.
• Move On When Ready information sessions are held at GHS from 11:30-1:00 every other Friday. These fill up fast, so contact your child’s counselor to set up a date or to get more information.
• The following are some scholarships with February deadlines:
• University of North Georgia Cadet Leadership Scholarship – Application Deadline: 02/15/2017
• The Vegetarian Resource Group Scholarship – Application Deadline: 02/20/2017
• Albert Lee Wright, Jr. Memorial Migrant Scholarship – Application Deadline: 02/24/2017
• Georgia Mining Foundation Scholarship – Application Deadline: 02/24/2017
• Georgia Mining Foundation Technical College Scholarship – Application Deadline: 02/24/2017
• University of North Georgia Army ROTC Scholarship – Application Deadline: 02/28/2017
• Links to all of these scholarships and more are on the GHS scholarship page at https://sites.google.com/a/gilmerschools.com/ghs-scholarship-page/home. Please check this site on a weekly basis throughout the spring semester, and fill out those applications!

This Week’s Feature: How to Get a Good Recommendation

During this time of year, students often apply for scholarships and other awards.  These typically require a recommendation from a teacher, counselor, principal, or other adult such as a supervisor at work.  If you need such a recommendation, there are three keys to make sure you get the best one possible.  First, ask for the recommendation well in advance.  This ensures that the person writing the recommendation has ample time to consider your positive attributes and write them in a well-thought-out fashion.  If the person you are asking to recommend you gets a recommendation request via a frantic email at 11:00 p.m. on the night the application is due, it may not be possible to get the recommendation at all if the person you need to reach is asleep at that time, or if the recommendation does get done, there is no time for the person writing it to do his/her best work.  Also, you may not get as high a recommendation if you appear disorganized and inconsiderate of others’ time.  Second, give specifics to the person recommending you about yourself and about submitting the application.  It is unlikely that your recommender has kept a running list of your activities and accomplishments during your school years, but you should have one on hand to give to the person recommending you so that they can be included in your recommendation.  Without specific information, you may end up with a general endorsement of you as “a good student.”  While nice, this will not help you to stand out from other candidates like detailed information can.  You should also let the person recommending you know when you need the recommendation completed, and in what form.  Do you need the recommendation in a sealed envelope, on school letterhead, electronically?  Your recommender needs these details to prepare the recommendation properly and in a timely manner.  Third, provide means to the recommender to send the recommendation when necessary.  In some cases, a recommendation must be submitted online by you.  In that case, your recommender may need your email in order to send an electronic copy to you for submission.  Provide your email to the recommender, printed neatly or typed, when you ask for the recommendation.  Other times, a recommendation is to be mailed by the recommender.  You should provide a stamped envelope with the address where the recommendation needs to be sent when you ask for the recommendation.  Never should someone recommending you have to scramble at the last minute or track you down for details on what to do with the recommendation once it is completed.  Having to do so could affect the quality of recommendation you get.  If you keep these three keys in mind when seeking recommendations, they should help you to get the best recommendation possible.